The present invention is directed to bicycles and, more particularly, to a bearing apparatus for a bicycle hub.
Bicycle wheels typically include a hub located in the center of the wheel for rotatably mounting the wheel onto the bicycle. A conventional hub comprises a hub spindle nonrotatably mounted on the frame, a hub body installed on the outer periphery of the hub spindle, and a pair of bearings arranged between the hub spindle and hub body at opposite ends of the hub. A male threaded portion usually is formed at each end of the hub spindle, and the hub body usually includes a pair of hub flanges located at opposite ends of the hub body. A plurality of spokes are connected to the pair of hub flanges for connecting the wheel rim to the hub body. Each bearing may comprise a cup supported to the hub body, a cone having a female threaded portion for engaging the male threaded portion of the hub spindle, and a plurality of balls installed between the cup and cone. The plurality of balls are installed in a holder that supports the balls spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The cone is locked by means of a lock nut that is screwed onto the hub spindle adjacent to the cone.
When assembling such a hub, the hub body first is installed on the hub spindle, and the cup (if formed separately from the hub body) is installed on the hub body. Next, the plurality of balls and their associated retainers are installed in the cups, and grease is applied. Once the balls have been installed, the cones are screwed onto the left and right sides of the hub spindle to rotatably set the hub body on the hub spindle. At this time, the axial position of the hub body is adjusted by adjusting the axial position of the cones. This step is called cone adjustment. Finally, the cones are locked with locknuts.
With the conventional arrangement described above, cone adjustment must be performed with the cones installed on both sides of the hub spindle, thus making the process of adjusting the cones rather inconvenient. Additionally, since locknuts are needed to lock the screwed-on cones, the locking operation is inconvenient as well.